let's be more than hype and talk...

Lent freedom!

So. It's less than a week into Lent...and I'm figuring that many of you have probably given something up for Lent, right? How is that going? Feeling good? Feeling stressed? So far...I've heard most people saying that they are starting to feel the pains from what they gave up.

For Lent, I decided to give up eating out. I decided it was ok for me to order beverages at restaurants, I just can't order food (I threw that in there so I could at least have the social aspect of going out to eat and not be a jerk to the waiter/waitress by not ordering anything). I decided that this was what I was giving up several weeks before Lent began, and when I would tell people what I was doing they would always have the same reaction: "That is going to be SO HARD!" ....I don't know if they were saying that because they thought it would be hard for me or if they thought it would be hard in general....I'm hoping it was the latter one.

And if I can be honest, I was looking forward to Lent and giving up going out to eat. I knew that it was becoming way too main of a source of my diet so it was hurting my health and hurting my checkbook! I was so excited for the day that I could finally decline going out to eat since I had given it up for God! Otherwise I would have just stuck to my typical ways.

Then it dawned on me...all of these people who are struggling to give up something for Lent...while I'm feeling a great sense of freedom even though it's something most people are telling me would be a burden...and I wonder if everyone could feel the same way as me? If everyone could find something "bad" for them to give up where they could feel freedom rather than pain? Most people give up something that they know isn't good for them but what they do anyways - such as drinking pop or eating sweets - and most people really struggle with giving these up. Maybe it's because even though they know it's bad for them...they don't think it's that big of a deal to actually need to give it up? Like it's not hurting them enough that they should have to give it up...and maybe I was just in the right place since I was sick of eating out so much and wanted to give it up and knew that with the upcoming Lent that it was a reason good enough for me to give it up.

Abstaining from harmful things for the sake of God gives us strength and gives God glory. I haven't heard of anyone giving up something that was good for them...so I hope that you find some freedom in what you gave up for Lent. I know I will have a few times when I will struggle with the fact that I cannot eat out, but I know that I am going to feel much more freedom from this experience than feeling like it is a burden. And maybe that is what Lent can be about - gaining that amazing freedom that comes by the time we reach Easter morning...rather than only the somberness of the Lenten season leading up to it.

Happy Lent everyone!

you are remembered...

One thing you can always count on in this world is death...sad, but true. And the older you get...the more you see it. Last year, I lost one of my high school friends on February 5th to a suicide, and four years ago on February 12th, my college roommate lost her brother to a car accident. So for my blog today...I would like to repost my blog about my friend from last year, and I'd like to say a little something about my friend who lost her brother.

It was the spring semester of my junior year at college. For whatever reason, I chose to take a full day of classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I was up bright and early to get ready for my 8 am class. Before leaving the apartment, I would usually check my email to make sure I hadn't received any emails from professors regarding class that day...and there was an email from my previous roommate. We had a pretty close group of friends involving all of us that lived on the same floor freshmen year - and she had emailed all of us saying: "I might not be around this next week. My brother died last night, so I am going home today and will be there for awhile."

Imagine my shock! First off, I was wondering why in the world she hadn't called all of us immediately rather than emailed...and secondly, I felt such heartache for her losing her brother. I went and woke up my roommate to tell her and then began to call all of our friends who wouldn't have seen the email yet.

Our group of friends came together that night to pray for the family and for her brother...and then within the next few days we went to the visitation. It's so surreal when these things happen, and we did what we could to be there for her...and to help her work through all of the emotions with this tragedy. Within the first few months, I told her that I felt like we could never completely comprehend or "get over" the death of those so close to us...that we would still struggle with it in different ways for the rest of our life.

Last year I received a call from this friend around this time...and when I let our conversation regarding our current life updates up come to a little lull, she finally said why she had really been calling: to remind me that it was the anniversary of her brother's death. I received that same call again this year, and I felt honored to have received it. I'm not sure who else she called, but the fact that she felt like I was someone who would listen and care for her as she once again processes the emotions related to her brother's death was great.

This Friday, I am planning on joining her as she travels to her hometown to visit her brother's grave again. I'm pretty sure it will be emotional...even though it has been four years.

Rest in peace, Joe Hartmann and Mike Winans. You are both still greatly missed.

don't be a fair weather fan

Well, I'm sure that many of you are still having some difficulties accepting that the Vikings season is over for the year...I sort of am as well even though I didn't watch one full game this season. Either way - I happened to notice this link of Favre's 10 Worst Career Moments...and I thought I would share some thoughts on the subject. Click here to check out Favre's 10 Worst Career Moments according to Sports Illustrated.

Now, looking over this list, there are some pretty painful examples. My personal "favorite" (or one that causes the most pain in my mind - this is coming from someone who doesn't watch football at all) is #9 on the list. I mean, Favre was set up in that game to WIN. He had a 35-0 record at home when it was below freezing and the Falcons basically had "no shot" to win according to any football fan watching...but what happened? The Packers lose in a 27-7 defeat....that's not even a close game. How do you think Favre felt after that game? How do you think Favre felt after all of these examples? Probably pretty crappy, huh?

Don't we all have instances like that? The odds are for us...we have shown an awesome track record, and therefore we should get an A on that test, or we should get the lead in that play, or we should get that solo, or we should get to start on the team, or we should make varsity, or...(do you really need any more examples here?)...but instead of reaching our greatness...we fail. We all face these times. All of us. (side note: I feel a little bad for people like Favre who get to hear about their failings from millions of people they don't even know and then get lists of their Top 10 Failures on the internet - I can tell you I am happy that I do not get to find that type of top 10 list about me online!)

How do you move on? How do you go forward? ...by remembering that you are great (failures and all). Sure, Favre has had some pretty amazing failures. However, he's also had some pretty AMAZING successes. I mean, he is 40 and still playing professional football - as a quarterback! He's in his 19th season (started in 1991 - I did that math right, correct?), so he's outliving a lot of quarterbacks' careers AND he's still a quarterback that teams are seeking out to play on their team and that his competitors "fear." I think that's pretty good considering his age. But the only way that he has broken so many records (ex: most career touchdown passes - 497, most career wins as a starting quarterback - 181, consecutive starts as a quarterback - 285 (!!!)) is because he was putting himself out there even in the face of failure. Sure, he succeeded a lot of the time, but all of us are only human and can only succeed part of the time, so we need to be open to failure. One phrase that I love is: if you want to get something that you have never had - you need to be willing to do something you have never done. So true - how will you succeed unless you are willing to fail?

All of this kind of reminds me of a lovely childhood Bible story that we hear so often: David and Goliath. Sadly, our world comes in waves, and sometimes you are going to be David - the underdog who everyone thinks will fail but who instead beats the mighty giant to claim victory...and sometimes we will be that Goliath, who thought we knew so much and were guaranteed greatness...but instead were humbled (or in Goliath's case: killed).

I don't know where you are at today - you might feel like David and are on your way climbing the ranks of greatness, or you might be Goliath on your fall down from your former greatness...but God is there with you each step of the way. He wants you to reach greatness, and He knows you will surely have some failures along the way...but He is by your side through it all.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

a "messed up" family

Well, this post is a week or so late...so I hope you can forgive me. :)

Anyways, I was sitting in the back of the church at Christmas Eve Mass...and it just so happens that it was the Children's Mass (who knew they had a special one that requested children to be present?). Now, since I was in the back of the church...that means that I was in the Gathering Space...with rows of folding chairs...and with all of the other people that decided to show up to church within the last 10 minutes before Mass...and therefore I had hundreds of people in front of me...and many children to entertain me.

Let's be honest, I had a lot of distractions during Mass.

There was one kid running around, another kid constantly taking hymnals from the stand and bringing them to his parent...then bringing it back...and then doing it all over again, then one would start crying, then another would need to use the bathroom. There was constant motion, constant distractions, and on top of it all - the reading involves a long list of Jesus' ancestors! I was sitting there thinking "I wonder how many people in the church right now are thinking: 'really? couldn't we have gotten a better Christmas reading?'" I'm sure there were a few thinking this (maybe even the priest since he got to do a lot of work to make sure he was pronouncing some of those names correctly!), but what they were missing out on is how meaningful that list means. If I told you so-and-so was the descendant of Richard Nixon or Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe...you'd notice and think differently about the person I pointed out...and that is the reason behind Jesus' genealogy...it tells you something about him!

But I'm getting away from my point (but you should really look into Jesus' genealogy...). While I was sitting there and slightly distracted...I was thinking about what others in the church may be thinking: "these readings are boring...when is church going to be over?...I wish that child would stop crying...I wish my child would behave...I don't like sitting this close to this strange person next to me"...etc. However, then I tried to think of what God was probably thinking while looking at this chaotic Mass...and I feel like he was thinking: "I'm so happy to see it so packed! I am so glad (insert name) is here! I am so glad all of these wonderful children are here! I am so thrilled that all of these families are together!"

And then I pulled that parallel a bit further - to the fact that so many families run into "problems" over the holidays...with various family tensions...either you have a "bad" family or your family might have some 'problems' with one of the members or whatever might be the case...and how I wish that more people would take a step back and look at the chaos and the mess and find a way to appreciate the simple fact that you are together. They're your family! You're not going to get away from that fact. It's time to embrace it and to try to make your family better through you being a part of it rather than standing on the sidelines (if that's what you are doing).

I can guarantee you that God would take His chaotic family all gathering every week over only the "cool, normal" members gathering every week...and I wish that we could all think that way too.

Just something to think about, since it's past the holidays and a little late for my thoughts on this!

Hope you all had a blessed and safe Christmas with your family and/or friends!

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us.'" - Matthew 1:23